The Secret Realm of Time, His and Her Life Through the Changes

Zhou Zihang, carrying a drink, slowly walked towards the girl.

He stood in front of the girl, smiling as he greeted her: "Hello!"

The girl looked up and saw a man standing by the table. She paused slightly, then quickly stood up, accidentally bumping the table. The glass trembled slightly as well, but fortunately, it wasn't full; only small ripples spread across it.

Zhou Zihang turned to the side and gently steadied the swaying glass. He hadn't expected his arrival to startle the bewildered girl. With a hint of apology, he spoke to her in a soothing tone, "I'm so sorry to bother you. I'm Kevin, Zhou Zihang. I saw you sitting here alone and came over to say hello. Would it be alright if we got to know each other?"

“Um…” The girl seemed a little flustered. She replied awkwardly, “Hello, I’m Amaya, Zhou Yanruo.”

"May I sit down?" Zhou Zihang pointed to the chair in front of him and asked softly.

"..." Zhou Yanruo raised her head and carefully examined the man in front of her.

He wore a well-tailored dark Western-style suit, formally tied with a dark tie, and a light-colored shirt with delicate cufflinks. His complexion was slightly pale, his eyes were deep-set, and his nose was high and straight, making him look exceptionally handsome. He spoke in a soft and low tone, revealing a gentlemanly demeanor.

Just as Zhou Zihang pulled out the chair opposite Zhou Yanruo to sit down, someone tapped him on the shoulder from behind: "Dr. Zhou, long time no see."

"Brother Cai! Long time no see!" Zhou Zihang greeted the familiar face cheerfully.

"I am truly grateful that Dr. Zhou could still find time to come despite his busy schedule!" Brother Cai said with a smile.

"It's an honor to receive an invitation to the gathering organized by Brother Cai, of course I have to come and support him!" Zhou Zihang responded.

"Haha, no problem, no problem." Brother Cai laughed a few times.

"Oh, right, I was going to introduce you two, but I didn't expect you already knew each other." Brother Cai looked at Zhou Zihang and Zhou Yanruo.

Zhou Zihang shook his head and said to Brother Cai, "No, no, I just saw the girl sitting here alone, so I came over to say hello."

"Yanruo, Dr. Zhou is an elite in the North American Chinese community. You two should have a good chat," Brother Cai introduced.

"Thank you, Brother Cai," Zhou Yanruo said softly.

"You two both have the surname Zhou, so you might even be from the same clan. Oh, by the way, if I remember correctly, Dr. Zhou is also from Xichuan, right? If you are from Xichuan, then you two are fellow townsmen."

“Brother Cai has a good memory. I’m from Yizhou, a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Xichuan. Calling myself a Xichuan native is an overstatement.”

"The great scholar is indeed meticulous. Yizhou and Xichuan are only twenty or thirty kilometers apart and belong to the same region, so they are fellow townsmen."

“Yes, yes, if you listen to Brother Cai, then we’re from the same hometown,” Zhou Zihang readily agreed with a laugh.

Zhou Zihang and Brother Cai stood there chatting and laughing, while Zhou Yanruo listened quietly with her eyes lowered, without saying a word.

"Look, we've been so busy catching up that we've left that girl hanging," Zhou Zihang said to Zhou Yanruo.

Brother Cai glanced at Zhou Yanruo, turned to the side, and whispered to Zhou Zihang, "A friend in China asked me to look after Yanruo. Sigh, this young lady has had a tough time."

“Brother Cai has already spoken, so if there’s anything I can do, I’ll definitely help.” Zhou Zihang readily agreed.

“There’s no particular need right now, and the alumni from Tsinghua and Peking Universities have basically done their part to help.” Brother Cai’s tone was somewhat wistful.

Zhou Zihang was surprised: "Oh? Then..."

Judging from the implication in Brother Cai's words, this girl seemed to be someone important. Just as he was about to ask her more questions, Brother Cai waved his hand and said, "You guys talk, you guys talk."

Then, she turned around and went to greet the newly arrived guests.

"Brother Cai is busy now, let's sit down and chat."

Zhou Zihang sat down and saw Zhou Yanruo somewhat awkwardly holding the cup in front of her with one hand, her eyelids lowered as she looked at the table.

"Yanruo, can I call you Yanruo like Brother Cai? I'm more used to calling you by your Chinese name." Zhou Zihang tried to close the distance between them.

“Yes, Dr. Zhou,” Zhou Yanruo replied softly.

"Just call me Zhou Zihang," Zhou Zihang said with a smile.

“Mm.” Zhou Yanruo nodded.

"Judging from the fact that you haven't been here long, you seem a little unaccustomed to the atmosphere. I'm guessing you're not here to work, but to study, right?" Zhou Zihang asked a series of questions in one breath to ease the somewhat tense atmosphere.

“Yes, I’ve been studying here for five years,” Zhou Yanruo replied.

"Ah, it's been five years already, and you still haven't graduated." Zhou Zihang realized his words were a bit presumptuous as soon as they left his mouth, and quickly covered up, "Well, I actually wanted to ask what your major is?" After saying that, he awkwardly took a big gulp of his drink and coughed twice. "I'm studying Finance and Market Economics," Zhou Yanruo explained, her face slightly flushed. "I'm currently working as a partner assistant at a fund company in Manhattan, and our manager is also a friend of Brother Cai." She paused for a moment, then added, "I'm preparing my thesis, and I expect to be able to apply for the defense next spring." Seeing that Zhou Yanruo was introverted and not good at talking, Zhou Zihang didn't ask any more questions. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he made an excuse and left.

With many holidays and gatherings at the end of the year, Zhou Zihang had plenty of free time and attended several gatherings organized by Lao Cai. Coincidentally, Zhou Yanruo also attended each one. After several gatherings, the two became acquainted and exchanged contact information.

In fact, Zhou Zihang deserves a lot of credit for Zhou Yanruo's successful graduation.

During that time, he put in a lot of effort, helping her find materials, modify parameters, adjust her defense speech, and even practice the defense in mock sessions. Finally, in the spring of the following year, Zhou Yanruo graduated.

......

Zhou Zihang looked away, a warm smile unconsciously appearing on his lips.

Ruoruo, she's really not cut out for studying, it's truly remarkable that she's been able to persevere for so many years.

Fortunately, her efforts eventually paid off.

Today, Zhou Yanruo has gradually transformed into an elite in the business world. She is capable and intelligent, and handles her work with ease.

Seeing how outstanding she was, he felt both gratified and slightly heartbroken, because only he knew how much effort she had put in to achieve all of this.

Zhou Zihang glanced at the time; it was dinnertime. He got busy, opened the refrigerator to check the ingredients, and then went into the kitchen to start preparing dinner.

The kitchen was filled with the clatter of pots and pans, and the skillful chopping of vegetables by Zhou Zihang. His movements were swift and methodical, and soon, the aroma of food filled the air…

Zhou Yanruo returned home, took off her coat, and sat on the sofa.

These past few days have felt like a battle; she was exhausted. She closed her eyes and fell asleep almost immediately.

She didn't wake up groggily until her phone beeped with a message notification. When she opened it, she saw it was from Zhou Zihang: "Dinner's ready, come downstairs and eat."

Zhou Yanruo immediately got up, changed her shoes, and went downstairs.

Stepping into Zhou Zihang's apartment, she found all the lights were on, creating a bright and warm atmosphere. On the dining table were her favorite dishes: sweet and sour pork ribs, steamed meatballs, braised dried bean curd strips, and stir-fried Shanghai bok choy.

Zhou Zihang was standing to the side, smiling as he watched her.

"Come and try it, see if my skills have deteriorated," he said, his eyes full of anticipation.

Looking at the steaming food in front of her, Zhou Yanruo felt a warm glow and a surge of warmth welled up in her heart, as if her wandering heart had sailed back into a safe harbor, a haven that Zhou Zihang had created for her.